Vanity had only seen an army this size once, and back then she'd never really seen it because she was at the front of it, shouting orders and seizing her own kingdom. She was not in control of her body at the time, but she watched her people and her family suffer all the same. The voice that left her lips was hers, but not. The hands that struck her own soldiers were hers, but not.
She gawked at the incoming armada, the ambush far larger than anything they could have planned. This was Aelith's final sweep of Anaphiel; after they'd used their power, made a ward that'd been broken, defended themselves with nothing but adrenaline and a few strokes of celestial energy.
Aelith had planned their execution, and much to Vanity's dismay, she planned it beautifully. This was what it was like to be on the other side of a siege.
"Pay attention, Variel," laughed Aelith. "I'm right here."
Vanity tightened her grasp around her double-edged blade, swinging wildly as one irkan ran by her side. The demon sidestepped her move, running right past her. They all ran past her. None of them stopping to pay attention.
Aelith held out a hand, a thick, iron rod appearing in her palm from a flicker of purple flame. Her battle axe was as long as her head and torso combined, the blade thick and heavy. When it was fully formed, her arm dropped from the weight, the head digging into dirt.
"I won't let them touch you," she said, hefting her shoulder so that the axe raised and fell into her other hand. "This is between you and I, isn't it?"
"You don't have an ounce of honor," said Vanity, bending her legs for an attack. Aelith was impulsive. Completely unpredictable when one was not on their guard. "I can't trust your word."
"Do you trust in how I've fantasized about you begging for your life?"
Vanity raised her voice. "Things were different, once."
"You still think of things from thousands of years ago?" Aelith cackled, strands of wet, black hair falling over her cheeks. "What is that like? Torturing yourself with what ifs. Holding onto hope."
"I wouldn't wish for anything else," said Vanity.
"The sad thing about hope is that one misfortune can turn it to despair. That's what you so proudly claim to be made of."
Vanity squared her shoulders. "I am not made of hope, but from an understanding that you will receive what you deserve by my hand."
Aelith's smug grin withered. Her eyes narrowed to slits, knuckles whitening around the axe's handle. She swung it overhead, screaming as she threw it. Vanity only had time to step sideways, the spinning blade twirling past her chest, her face. She saw the golden flecks in her eyes in the iron's reflection. The axe lodged into nearby wall. Aelith leapt for Vanity's neck.
Vanity yelped as sharp nails closed around her throat, picking up her body and throwing her into the wall next to the stuck axe. Vanity collided with brick, sharp pain stabbing through her lungs, stars swimming through her head.
But oddly enough, she shivered.
Pain.
This was pain.
She hadn't felt it in hundreds of years.
Her head whipped to the side as Aelith's fist connected with her cheek. It happened a second time, the coppery taste of blood filling Vanity's mouth. So many sensations, all of them terrible but...
Vanity grit her teeth, snatching Aelith's hand before claws could rake through her eye.
This is what it felt like to be alive. To have her body.
She twisted her wrist, using her other hand to grab the Demon Queen's neck. Grunting, she pushed herself from the brick wall and slammed Aelith into the street. She let her knee fall onto Aelith's stomach, the jolting of the woman's body sending sick reassurance through her mind; One of them would not walk away alive.
Aelith held out a hand towards her axe. The handle glowed, dislodging from the wall and flying back into her hand. Vanity rolled to the side as Aelith angled the blade at her temple. Both of them got back onto their feet, sizing one another up.
"You're so slow," said Aelith.
Vanity kept her face expressionless. She hadn't fought in quite a while. There wasn't time to adjust to her body. She couldn't strike as she once could. And she knew it, but she beckoned Aelith with a finger anyway.
Aelith dug her feet into the earth, groaning as she swung at Vanity's stomach.
The Queen took measured steps backwards, sliding, dodging when necessary. Her shoes bumped against the sidewalk's curb, slowing down her defense. Aelith grinned, casting a winning swing at Vanity's head. Vanity bent all the way backwards, the wind from Aelith's swing brushing past her nose. As Aelith prepared another blow, Vanity stumbled onto the sidewalk, peering over her shoulder to find there wasn't very much room left before her back was against another wall.
Running out of space, out of time, the Queen thought of solutions. The axe itself was too large to deflect. Too heavy to even allow a partial hit. She had to find a way to make Aelith release it.
Smooth granite met her back, another skyscraper pinning her in place. Aelith brought the axe above her head and brought it down--snarling as Vanity used both hands to hold up her double-edged blade just before her forehead. The sharpened opal sliced into Vanity's palms. Her knees buckled as Aelith applied more pressure. All she needed to do was catch her just a bit off-guard.
Think, think, think.
Vanity slackened her arms for a second, kicking Aelith in the chest before she finished her thrust. The axe scraped against Vanity's hilt as Aelith stumbled back.
"Why won't you die?"
Vanity rushed Aelith, grabbing the axe's handle. Aelith tried to yank it away, both of them fighting for control. Just as Aelith mangled it from her hands, Vanity grabbed Aelith's chin, forcing her to look into her golden eyes. The Queen drew from the sky, memories of her realm, the aura of the Blood Moon. She imagined moonbeams wrapping around her arms and legs, equipping her with an armor not even Aelith could tear through. And when it was enough, she used her power.
"You can't kill me," said Vanity.
Aelith slapped her hand off, winding up her axe--and hitting an invisible wall. She furrowed her brows, trying again, and again, and again. It bounced off of a shield Aelith couldn't see.
Vanity held up a hand. "Stop."
Aelith froze. Spit flew through her teeth as she swore, muscles flexing without any motion following.
"Look around."
Aelith involuntarily scanned her army. Irkans overpopulated the street. In the opposite direction of KSJ, two dogs were laid out on the road.
"I would like to show you something before you pass on."
Vanity's head ached. Holding the reins over someone as powerful as Aelith was draining, especially on a night like this. She battled a wave of nausea, holding the illusion of paralysis steady. Her next move would take more energy, the most she'd ever given. But, this was it. It was right.
It was the end.
Aelith blinked, but when she opened her eyes, she was in a burning city. Black smoke filled the pink clouds, the scent of ash and seared flesh fresh on the breeze. The white marble buildings were charred at the edges if not completely collapsed. The gold statues and accents melted, the brilliant color dribbling down the sides of ruins like tears. There were bodies on the street. Footsteps of red, pools of red, smears of it on the pearlescent roads. The sky was orange and filled with screams. She was on a grand staircase in the same position holding her axe, watching multiple explosions batter the avenues and homes with explosions.
"You stole my body," said Vanity. "You broke into my home." She shoved her sword into Aelith's stomach. Aelith lurched when she wrenched it out. "You stripped my people of their wings. You destroyed an era of peace." She dug the blade into Aelith's back. "And though I forgive you, because I stand on grace, I can never forget."
Aelith bellowed as Vanity removed the sword, a stream of black blood flowing down her back.
"I want you to see this moment, the chaos you caused. I want you to remember where it leads you." Vanity fought through each word, the pulsing in her temples applying pressure to her skull. She was exerting too much energy. The illusion was too grand, too expansive.
"Death has never begotten anything besides death." Vanity, a mask of indifference, dragged her opal blade across Aelith's cheek. "Ask the woman who's body you occupy now. Her spirit wanders, lost, because she does not have a home. I will give her, and the other souls you scattered rest."
Vanity positioned the opal shard so that the point rested atop Aelith's heart. She basked in the air of the clouds, her own illusion so real she fought the urge to give herself to it. She listened to the battle that incited this disaster, the siege that endangered the fate of the world. And seven hells, she felt blood rushing to her own head, her cheeks, her ears. She felt like she was going to implode. She wasn't going to last much longer.
The Queen of Angels pushed her own pain aside, staring Aelith in both of her black eyes.
"I, Variel, Queen of the Eternal Realm, hereby sentence you to an execution before the eye of my kingdom."
Aelith locked eyes with her, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"May you find peace."
She jerked her wrist down, the blade sliding through her heart. Aelith choked, her hands wrapping around Vanity's. The illusion around them faded in small fragments, like pieces of mirror refracting and shifting to bring them back down from the clouds. When they were back in front of KSJ on another burning street, Aelith glanced down at Vanity's sword in her chest. Wordlessly, the Queen pulled it out, holding her eye contact as Aelith fell backwards.
Vanity wiped off her sword on Aelith's pants. The rest of the battle raged around her, but as she raised her head to look, Seoul spun. Warm liquid trickled over her lips. She brought a finger to her nose, glaring at the blood that smeared her skin. She swallowed, tasting it in the back of her throat. Her brain felt like it floated outside of her body, her hands trembling without moving. She glanced to her left at Taehyung's lifeless body on the ground. A fist clenched her heart for the beautiful, beautiful prince. She glanced to her right. Jimin opened a sinkhole, removing a fair share of demons from the fray.
With Aelith gone, they lacked direction. Their attacks became feral, wild.
Vanity pushed herself from the ground, tripping over her own two feet. Each breath came weaker, shorter. She sighed through her nostrils, closing her eyes and raising her hands. She entered the minds of the demons closest to her, stretching her conscious like taffy until it attached to as many heads as possible. She couldn't estimate a number, but the amount she'd reached would help. It was everything she had left.
If Anaphiel and Grey had a chance, this would give it to them.
Vanity fell to her knees, letting herself go just as she allowed her final command to slip from her lips.
"Begone."
The Queen sighed for the last time, her back hitting the pavement.
At long last, she was free.
:::
Hoseok held Grey close, sneaking through the battle to get to Namjoon.
He sat upright against a stack of debris, his breathing strained. The leashes and bow were gone, just his lone figure examining the war around him. Even while watching his world end, the wheels in his head turned. Grey knelt by his side, grabbing his cold hand. Knowing him, he would not have appreciated someone smothering him. He would want her to address him as he always was; cool, calm, collected.
So, she said, "It's happening, isn't it?"
He smiled weakly, eyes swimming in and out of focus. "Yes."
Grey bit her lip, the tears spilling out beyond her control.
He said, "Is she safe?"
Grey whimpered, nodding. "She got away."
He grinned, his breathing growing softer. "Smart girl," he mumbled.
She didn't even want to think about how Amelia would react. Still, it was unavoidable.
"What should I tell her?"
Namjoon's chin lowered to his chest, eyelids fluttering. His hand grabbed the arrow. "To stay the way she is."
Grey watched him pull the arrow out. When he was gone it looked like he had simply fallen asleep.
Hoseok lifted her up, holding him to his chest even though she thrashed. "You don't need to watch that."
"Where is Vanity?" Jin yelled, roaring as an irkan sank teeth into his forearm. He decked it in the eye, kicking or shoving at others that wandered too close. Except now, they were rowdier and he couldn't pinpoint why. The demons abandoned formation, attacked each other, pushed further towards KSJ's doors.
Yoongi cried out as he stabbed two demons in the neck. "I don't see her!"
"Neither do I!" Jungkook cut down three more.
Grey already knew she wouldn't be able to spot her, but just as she was absent, so was Aelith. She figured Vanity was wherever she was--and it wasn't at KSJ. Grey gasped, another thought seizing her. "Luca! We left Luca!"
"You left her?!" Yoongi stomped on something's skull.
"I'll get her," said Jin.
Jungkook inhaled a sharp breath as talons raked down his bicep. In one swift motion, his katana decapitated the assailant. "Hurry!"
Jin unleashed one last cloud of shadow before turning and running into the building. Irkans rushed to fill the space he left. Jimin fought his way through the maelstrom to stand in his place. He punched whatever stood in his way, surprised when he found himself raising his fists less and less.
The irkans thinned. They were gaining control. Yoongi noticed too, expanding his winnowing range from one section of the army to another, helping out the other angels.
Hoseok yelled at the top of his lungs, "Keep going!"
Jimin, Jungkook, Yoongi, and Hoseok obeyed; a flurry of brute strength, sword, and shadow. Black ichor painted their clothes, faces, arms. The rain had stopped, but blood showered them instead.
An irkan darted past Hoseok, grubby paws outstretched for Grey. Soundlessly, she snatched a fat rock from the ground and slammed it into its skull. She ran to another one, doing to the same to that monster. And a third, all of them knocking out. She prepared for a fourth when a screech rattled her ears.
Her blood turned to ice, the sinking feeling so familiar that when she peered towards the source, she already knew.
Above the black building that split the traffic circle, the skyline beamed lavender, dots of black littering the growing light. Obsidian splotches came into view, the buzzing of one hundred tattered, gossamer wings humming along with the crackling of hellfire. Thick, black shells protected their bellies, reptilian feet dangling in the breeze. Their onyx scales soaked in the radiance of the fire that littered the street. Grey had never seen irkans like these, but her concentration latched onto the object behind them.
Hellfire twirled through the air, shrieking. It had a body, a long face with distinct slit eyes and a longer jaw, horns that jutted from the sides of its head. It had a tail decorated with spikes, four legs that galloped in time with the colossal wings that spread at its back. Solis crouched on its neck, his hands clinging to both horns.
The Demon King rode into war upon a dragon made of fire.
His cluster of gilded irkans funneled into one massive swarm; a band of overgrown locusts.
The dragon plummeted to the traffic circle, landing gently. Solis slid off its back, patting its nose. The beast vanished--extinguished as though it never existed. He then dusted off the sleeves of his deep purple peacoat, the golden trim so shiny it was nearly blinding. His black hair had grown to his shoulders. There were no whites in his eyes. Calmly, he walked down the street.
Grey stood, paralyzed. He was so regal it was difficult to believe this was anyone other than the man that offered the Eternal Flame. But perhaps it was the lack of life in his expression that made him different. Because here, he should have felt the most alive, and yet, he was placid. Bored.
Jungkook slashed through the last irkan of Aelith's fleet. And a little hopelessly, he glanced upwards at Solis's.
Two thousand demons later, and they still had to fight.
Yoongi shouted, "Anaphiel! Come together!"
The angels moved like clockwork, wriggling towards one another, making a wall around Grey. The gilded irkans were almost upon them.
The Wraith barked his instructions. "Jimin and I will slow down Solis. Jungkook, handle the flying beasts! Hoseok, get Grey to the top floor!"
"You'll what?" snapped Grey. Solis was her job. "Don't!"
Jimin sprinted for Solis. Yoongi disappeared into a black cloud.
Jungkook shimmered blue, but his power didn't envelope his body. There were too many pockets. It wasn't half as bright. He was tired, Grey realized. Almost sucked dry of strength.
Hoseok spread his wings wide, feathers sharpening. Jungkook could not handle this alone, that much he knew. What he did not expect was for Grey to join him with her fists raised.
Solis inhaled a deep breath. The Blood Moon was like candy, the power radiating from it giving him a sensation similar to a sugar rush. He could do anything, and he would. He narrowed his bottomless gaze onto Park Jimin, who sprinted forth with such a steely look of determination it was almost admirable. Solis's lips quirked at the edges.
He opened his palm, crackling hellfire exploding from his skin and forming a jet black hilt with a lone amethyst. An obsidian blade shot from the foundation, a tad curved at the end. His sword, Duskbringer, seemed to writhe in his hands from the glory of night. He waited for Jimin to be a blade's length away, his eyes following as the angel jumped with all fours for the tackle. Solis's reflexes moved before his mind, his sword slashing a perfect diagonal across Jimin's chest. Jimin crumpled before his feet.
The remnants of black smoke shadowed his peripheral. Solis whirled on the Wraith, frowning as one of Yoongi's twin daggers sank into a space between his ribs. When Solis did not fall, Yoongi glanced up, confused. Solis smirked. "It will take more than that."
The Demon King shoved Duskbringer into the young prince's stomach. Yoongi screamed in agony. Basking in the sound, Solis dug his sword in further, using an arm to lift both his weapon and the young man. Blood dribbled from Yoongi's lips, from his torn shirt. Like he was a rag doll, Solis shook him from the blade.
Grey's scream shattered the stars. "JIMIN! YOONGI!"
Jungkook and Hoseok forced themselves not to look. The Raven shot feathers into the swarm of demons, but Jungkook turned and ran for Grey and Hoseok, shoving them both towards the entrance of KSJ.
Grey stumbled back, unable to see through her own tears.
"What are you doing?" Hoseok demanded.
"Take her!" Jungkook pleaded. "Please! I'll distract them."
Hoseok wrapped his arms around Grey's waist. She thrashed and flailed. She bawled over the sound of descending wings. "No! Jungkook, no!"
The Assassin smiled; a young, handsome man drawn into a battle that desired to steal his compassion. He took her hand, his lips mouthing words that only Grey heard through the chaos. They engraved themselves in her heart, in everything she was. Her heart burned for him.
She listened to his last addition intently. "Go to him."
She knew exactly who he meant. As his wish, his declaration dissolved into her soul, Hoseok took off. She watched helplessly, the objects on the ground becoming smaller and smaller. Jungkook turned his back to the gilded locusts, staring solely at Grey. He did not raise his blade. He did not prepare to fight. He watched her ascend, never leaving her gaze for a second. She howled his name as the gilded irkans landed on him and tore him apart.
The half of Solis's fleet that couldn't touch Jungkook locked their aim onto Hoseok. The Raven grimaced at his growing number of followers. He flexed his wings, beating them harder and faster. Grey's stomach somersaulted at the speed of their pursuers. They matched him expertly, gaining on him the higher they went. Hoseok spun, rounding the perimeter of the building. It slowed them down, but not nearly enough.
He swore a string of curses. "We're almost there!"
"There's too many, Hobi!"
His eyebrows knit in concentration. "I'm going to drop you off."
"And then what?" she yelled over the torrent of wind.
She felt him shrug. "We'll see, Duckling." The 42nd floor was a beacon of white light through the windows of the pavilion. Hoseok tossed her in through the one Vanity had shattered earlier. She hit the ground hard, barrel rolling out of the blow. She coughed, picking her head up and looking for him. He was gone, numerous black locusts zipping past.
Grey stood up and caught her breath. The room was just as spacious and empty as earlier. There wasn't any sign of Luca or any sign of Jin.
Focus, focus, focus!
She squinted her eyes shut, stirring the magical energy in her chest.
Rowan, if you can hear me, I need you!
Light seared through her eyelids. She blinked through the brightness at Gatekeeper.
"This is what I get for making the scavenger hunt too easy."
Grey stilled. She peered over her shoulder at Solis. His sword was already raised.
"Open the gate."
She snatched the hilt of Gatekeeper, white fire surging through the blade until it blazed as bright as a torch. The First King came alive in her belly, her senses sharpening into focus--her body aligning weapon and spirit to create an entirely new entity. She was all things bright; the last star among a blood-soaked sky.
Solis's features contorted into fury. He stomped his foot. "That's impossible! Mortals cannot possess the Eternal Flame!"
Grey--no, not Grey. The First King inside of her moved her arm, aiming Gatekeeper at Solis. Her next words weren't hers either. "For everything you have done there is no redemption!"
"Rowan?" Solis sneered. "You've possessed her?"
The First King didn't seem to have a response so Grey chipped in. "He isn't any of your concern! You're dealing with me!"
Solis lowered his sword. "Yes. A child." He fished a thin chain from the inside of his coat. The necklace dropped just above his breast pocket. "I don't think the Blood Moon could have picked a better day. It's almost midnight, and two of the most disgusting people are so eager to die that they decided to fight together."
Grey furrowed her brows. It was almost midnight?
Solis grinned. "11:38PM."
She spared a glance outside. The storm clouds thinned out, only sheets of black vapor casting a film over a bronze and scarlet moon.
22 minutes.
He said, "I would like to give you a choice."
Grey stepped back as he stepped forward.
"You open a gate by the Amulet of Erilim," he said, twirling his finger into the pendant's chain, "or you open a gate with Gatekeeper."
"Neither," she spat.
"Really think about this, Grey. There is no way that I can lose unless you kill me, and we both know you aren't capable of that."
"I can!"
Solis pouted. "Yoongi and Jimin couldn't, and they're my own kind."
Fresh memories badgered her mind. She pushed them away. "They're nothing like you!"
"You're right," said the Demon King. "They're dead."
Grey pointed Gatekeeper with vengeance. "Shut up! The only choices I'm making are my own!"
"You can't be truly free when you're fighting not to lose--," Solis recoiled as a wall of white flame blossomed near his feet. When he glanced at Grey again, she saw nothing but death in his eyes. "You've made your choice." He jumped over the flame, storming towards her.
He was on her so fast that she couldn't even raise her sword. Instead, she raised an arm, squeezing her eyes shut. Metal clashed against metal. She opened her eyes, gaping at how the Demon King reeled backwards. The vambrance Vanity made glittered.
She heard the Queen's voice telling her of its power. As long as you believe its there, it will be. Nothing can penetrate it.
Grey used the opportunity to lunge with Gatekeeper. He moved with the grace of lightning, his speed unparalleled. His parry was jarring, disrupting her flow so easily that she found herself on the defense without even realizing it. She retreated, he advanced, leading them through a dance of sorts where he dominated the floor. Grey had no choice but to match his rhythm, blocking and ducking.
Despite retracing ground, the Eternal Flame urged her instincts forward. The First King must have wanted her to attack. Waiting another beat, she took an extra step out of reach and shoved his blade away with her vambrance, using her other arm to slice at his side. Solis shuffled back, Gatekeeper missing him by a hair.
The fire within crackled in triumph, the First King inviting himself to the forefront of the battle again. She emptied her mind, welcoming his warmth into her head and heart. She sank into his power and embrace.
When Solis lunged, it was Rowan that blocked and countered, twirling her wrist and making one circular motion with her forearm that nearly knocked Duskbringer from Solis's hands. While he was off balance, Rowan lifted Grey's elbow and brought it down on Solis's shoulder. The Demon King buckled, Rowan grabbing hold of the Amulet of Erilim and snatching it right off his neck.
Solis grabbed his throat, awestruck.
The Amulet's gem was dull. The decorative sun rays around the orb sparkled bronze.
He dove for it. "Give it back--,"
Grey threw it on the ground, stomping her shoe down to hear a glorious crack. Underneath her feet were broken shards when Solis shoved her down, Gatekeeper skidding out of her grasp.
"Look at what you've done!"
Grey lurched as he brought his foot down on her stomach. He pointed the tip of Duskbringer at her head. The Eternal Flame flared through her veins, unable to escape. She held her breath as his sword rose over his head--and a tiny black thing jumped onto his face. Four white paws clawed at his skin, tiny teeth sinking into his cheeks. Solis howled, grabbing the kitten by the fur on the back of her neck.
A fist sailed into Rowan's head. "Let her go!" The Demon King tripped sideways, releasing Luca. Grey lost sight of her as she scurried away. Instead, she saw the other man in black that protectively stood over her. His tousled hair was messy from hours on the battlefield, dried red blood caking his arm where he'd been bitten earlier, but he held strong like he hadn't exerted energy at all.
Grey pushed onto her feet, fear, uncertainty, and butterflies colliding with her ribcage.
Jin glowered at Solis.
Solis screamed from frustration, hellfire engulfing the pavilion's perimeter. "I will not allow any more intrusions!"
"Touch him, and I end this Blood Moon early," said Grey. Both men turned to her. She pointed Gatekeeper at Rowan's nose. Slowly, she sidled in front of a bewildered Seokjin.
He whispered, "What are you doing?"
"Making a promise," she said.
Solis's eyes darted between them, a smug grin dancing on his haunted face. "What is this?"
Grey peered at Seokjin. "Get out."
"I'm not leaving you."
She frowned. "I can't let you stay."
Solis glanced out the window. "11:49PM."
11 minutes. She had to open a gate before then. But if she did, she'd allow Solis passage to Heaven. If she didn't... she glanced nervously at Jin.
What could she do if she couldn't win?
"Open. The. Gate," repeated Solis. He was growing impatient.
Jin said to Grey, "You know what to do."
She nodded. "I know."
"No more games!" Solis roared, charging. Grey yelped as their swords connected, the sheer force of his strength overpowering her stance.
Jin sidestepped, his fingertips leaking shadow. They wrapped around Solis's torso, but the Demon King was too strong. He jerked his elbows, slashing Jin's power away. The angel tried again, but his own shadows sputtered, appearing more as mist than a full-bodied miasma. He willed his powers to return, thicker plumes entering the pavilion--but they never reached Solis. They disappeared completely, the last of his power emptied. Frustrated, he picked up a shard of glass and searched for an opening.
Every time Solis hit Grey, she lost ground. He was a whirlwind of obsidian. Uncontrollable. He bared his teeth, the vein in his head bulging as he knocked Gatekeeper to the other side of the pavilion. Grey fell on her rear, her arms raising to deflect. Metal sang through the clearing, her heart beating in her throat as he slashed and chopped, each time getting closer to her face.
He bellowed, a wave of purple fire igniting Duskbringer. She covered her face with both arms as he came for her. The gold around her wrists shattered. Vanity's vambrances turned to fine, golden dust.
Solis laughed maniacally, his sword's tip expertly lifting her chin to make her look. "Will you do as I ask?"
Jin rammed the Demon King. He and Solis tumbled to the ground, a wrestling mass of black.
"Don't touch her!" Jin growled. He stabbed Solis in the neck with his glass shard.
Solis hissed, the black veins in his skin surfacing. Grey watched his grip tighten around Duskbringer. Through clenched teeth he said, "You want to be her hero?"
Jin decked him again, pushing the glass further into his skin. Black blood stained the side of Solis's neck, his coat. But the Demon King rolled on top of the eldest prince, straddling his waist.
Grey searched for Gatekeeper, finding it against one of the walls. She pushed with every fiber of her being, sprinting and lifting her sword, the fury of the Eternal Flame setting her alight. Her skin glowed around the hilt, the heat radiating from her body so prevalent that sweat dotted her brow.
She whirled on Solis to find him picking up a bleeding Jin by the collar and putting him on his feet.
The Demon King pulled Jin forward onto Duskbringer, the blade piercing his heart. The eldest prince's jaw went slack, eyes wide in horror as Solis tilted the blade downward, forcing him to his knees.
Grey clattered to the floor, the warmth bleeding from her like the life from Jin's body. She couldn't speak, a wave of sickness raking claws down her spine.
Solis gently cupped his cheek, moving his head so that Jin stared out the window. The eldest prince choked, his eyes full of tears as a round, wide crimson moon beamed at the skyscraper through a sea of midnight.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Solis whispered. While Jin knelt, Solis withdrew his blade. And as disgusting as it was, Solis had positioned him so that it appeared as though Jin had bowed to the last King of the three realms.
The eldest angel collapsed.
Solis pivoted towards Grey, his face speckled with red and black blood. "Five minutes."
Grey's head fell, her fist slamming into cobblestone. Sobs racked her shoulders, her sniffling and wheezing like music to Solis's ears.
"Damn you," she said. Her voice was hoarse. Small. "Damn you."
Solis inhaled dramatically. "The curse of a broken lover. You do love him, don't you?"
Grey held Gatekeeper to her chest, unraveling.
Her family, her life. The man she loved.
Finished.
"If neither of us are getting to Heaven," Solis snapped, Duskbringer digging into the cobblestones, "then we'll both go to Hell." He sliced a straight line through the floor, stumbling back when he yanked out his sword. The ground fell away, stone by stone. It broke until it crumbled altogether. The floor that housed a garden and clock gave out. The pavilion glowed lilac, towers of hellfire shooting towards the roof. The wind blew black Solis's coat and hair, it rushed past Grey. It reeked of corpses and rotted soil. And when a doorway to the Severed Realm opened to its full glory, the negative energy that leaked from it coiled around Grey, dragging her under.
She clutched the sword tighter, images of death flicking through her mind. She felt her stomach lurch as a car headed into another, she saw her parents fly through the windshield. She heard Rin's laugh, envisioned a pretty string of pearls shattering. She saw her friends, screaming in agony.
A hand rested on her knee. Wild-eyed, Grey blinked up at Yoongi. Except, it wasn't him. She saw right through him, his face, his arms, his chest translucent. The edges and plains that created his silhouette shimmered dully at the edges as though he were a ghost.
"Get up," he said.
A torrent of negativity swirled around Grey. Her stomach flipped, but she said, "Yoongi?"
"Come on," said another voice. Grey turned her head to see a luminescent Taehyung, who stood next to Jimin, who stood next to a softly grinning Hoseok.
Namjoon's voice spoke from her left. She startled, meeting his eyes. He said, "You can do it."
Jungkook offered a hand above Yoongi's squatted form. "Stand up."
"Go on," said Vanity, who lingered at the Assassin's side.
"You guys?" Grey swallowed bile, but she took Jungkook's translucent hand. It felt like nothing, no temperature, no skin. Was she hallucinating? They couldn't be here. It was impossible. Yet, he led her towards Solis, the rest of Anaphiel and Vanity at her back. "W-what? But you're... you're..."
Vanity finished her sentence. "Here to help."
The Queen placed a shimmering hand on Grey's left shoulder. Jungkook's hand wrapped around Grey's on the hilt of Gatekeeper along with Yoongi's. Hoseok and Jimin put their hands on her right shoulder. Taehyung and Namjoon put hands on her back.
"Believe in yourself," said Vanity. "We are always with you."
Light broke Solis's trance. It was the glint of Gatekeeper.
The Demon King frowned, watching the girl on the floor stand and mouth words, her voice lost over the howling of the Severed Realm. Grey's head darted this way and that like she was looking at something, responding to it. Solis squinted through the Severed Realm's haze.
Nothing was there.
Still, he grinned. The human girl taking a last stand. How prophetic. He raised Duskbringer, the exposed radiation from the Severed Realm making him square his shoulders. There was so much power that it barely fit within his body, pressure pushing against his fingertips, urging him to do something--to use it. He stalked around the Severed Realm's opening, eyes on the human like a lion marking his last kill.
He asked, "Are you ready to descend?"
Grey locked eyes with Solis, saying nothing. The tip of Gatekeeper flared with white fire, the flame inching slowly up the length of the blade to the hilt, and over Grey's hand. It swallowed her arm, covered her chest, bathed her legs, illuminated her face. She blinked, opening her eyes again. They were the color of liquid gold; the same as Vanity's, the same as Rowan's.
A flicker of fear passed over Solis, but before it lasted too long he went expressionless. He gathered his sword, leaping for Grey.
In response, Grey swung Gatekeeper, the golden sword stronger in her hand. Solis spun and aimed for her other side. Casually, she twirled out of the way, bringing Gatekeeper down where Duskbringer should have cut into her core. Gold met obisidian--and shattered it.
Solis's eyes widened, his momentum still carrying him through the move. When he stumbled to a stop, he gaped at his sword. A jagged, fragmented blade stared back.
He slowly peered at the girl that embodied the sun.
Grey stabbed him with Gatekeeper. His body seized, the fire from the sword singing his skin.
"This is for my friends," she said.
She stabbed him again. "This is for terrorizing me." Solis's wounds burned with white fire.
"And this is for Rowan!" Gatekeeper tore into Solis's lungs. The Demon King's head tilted back, white fire spilling from his lips, his nostrils, his eyes. Grey screamed, her soul cleaving in two like splitting atoms. The Eternal Flame seeped from her through Gatekeeper, the First King rising with it. He was leaving her body, entering the vessel Solis occupied. The sword's hilt grew hot enough in her hands to burn her skin, the heat of the exchange scalding enough to melt her bones.
Solis flailed, white light encompassing his body, shimmering through cracks as though he were made of stone. Then, he burst. His shell peeled away, a brilliant light blooming underneath. Grey let go of Gatekeeper, sinking to her knees.
She could neither feel her bloody hands nor take her eyes off of the essence of the First King. He was glorious. Absolutely splendid. He smiled through the sunbeams, the sword perfect in his large hands. Then, he vanished.
The darkness of night was suffocating in his absence, the Blood Moon painting the side of her face burgundy.
:::
(A/N) Beloved reader,
Next release: 1/4 (January 4th)
One more chapter and an epilogue that should tie up all the loose ends.
Something that happened in this chapter plays a key role in the epilogue. You'll see which part when we finish the story.
This chapter is dedicated to you. All of you that are here with me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
With love,
M